Social Media and The Enterprise

When I sign into my Facebook page, I have the world at my hands. Seriously. I can type anything—ANYTHING—in the search bar at the top right-hand side of my screen and am guaranteed to get at least one result.

For example, if I type in the word ‘banana,’ I can request to be Johnny Bananas’s friend, become a fan of Banana Republic or display my love for the yellow fruit by joining it’s support group.

Let’s say I suddenly remember that awesome sweater my mom got me last Christmas that just happens to be from Banana Republic. I choose to “Become a Fan” of the store. Once I do, my friends will be able to see, and then they’ll think of those comfortable khakis Uncle Jim gave them last fall and be more likely to become a fan of Banana Republic, too.

It’s exactly what Banana Republic wants.

Because social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter are bringing the success of using “word of mouth” to garner popularity and (hopefully) customers to the World Wide Web.

But, even better, by using these social media sites, enterprises are putting their products directly at the consumers’ fingertips. If one person becomes a fan of Banana Republic, he or she then exposes however many friends they have on his or her friends list to becoming a fan, and if any of those friends decide they’d like to become fans of Banana Republic too, then there’s an even larger group exposed, and so on…

It’s not hard to recognize the chain reaction.

On the corporate blog for the McKremie Web Hosting Company, a May 4th entry titled, “Seven Examples of Local Social Media Marketing,” Banana Republic is listed as one of the first large-scale clothing stores to take advantage of the growing interest in social media outlets.
The enterprise found that through the use of Twitter, it was able to keep in touch with the demands and awareness of its customers, as well as announce new arrivals and promotions. With over 1,000 subscribers, there is no doubt that using social media provides a greater chance that news about one’s business will circulate.

Twitter is free and anyone can sign up. It provides users with a platform to post short, 140 character messages (called “tweets”) on what they are doing right now. Tweets can be used to distribute quick thoughts, news and ideas as well provide links to further information. Then, users select other people or organizations they know to follow or receive their messages in more or less real time.

In a press release dated for March 26, 2009, Gartner, Inc., the world's leading information technology research and advisory company, highlights four ways in which enterprises are using Twitter.

"Despite the fact that Twitter is primarily aimed at individual users in the consumer market, many of those individuals work for companies and 'tweet' about business issues, leading businesses to explore how they could best use it," said Jeffrey Mann, research vice president at Gartner.

When users get to Twitter.com, they are offered popular topics being recently “tweeted” about. Thus, just like in the real world, you’re bound to get noticed if people are talking about you.

If you type in “Banana Republic” on the search bar of the home page, you are offered a collection of the most recent tweets mentioning the search term. This is another important reason why enterprises like Banana Republic and its affiliates benefit from the use of social media sources. Not only can they set up their own Twitter pages to connect with consumers, but they can readily access what others are saying about their products.

But when it comes down to it, there’s really no other choice. Nearly everyone has a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. It’s how we stay connected to those around us and it’s how many enterprises are bettering their business.

Afterall, it’s just part of living in the “now generation.”



Photo courtesy of Hubspot.com.

Just Relaaax...

.Sometimes easier said than done.

Imagine yourself sitting in your apartment, eating ramen noodles (or some other poor, college kid food) and watching TV. The phone rings and your mother tells you that your best friend has just been in a car accident.

How do you feel?

Your heartbeat might race, you may begin to sweat and feel dizzy, perhaps even feel like vomiting or passing out.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in every eight Americans suffers chronically from symptoms like these, which occur amidst a world of anxiety and panic attacks. And many don't really know why or what to do about it. Due to the fact that so many, including myself, experience some sort of anxiety during their lifetimes, I believe that this type of mental illness is one of the biggest challenges that young adults and students face today. And also one of the most misunderstood.

But by attempting to understand what anxiety is, its symptoms and types, how it can be treated and the different ways in which it affects one’s everyday life, it's much easier to grasp.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “What exactly is anxiety? And am I at risk?"

About.com defines anxiety as feelings of apprehension, danger, dread and uncertainty, accompanied by restlessness and tension. It can also be characterized by palpitations, sweating and feelings of stress.

However, anxiety is also a result of chemical imbalances in the reduced availability of neurotransmitters such as Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine in the brain. Neurotransmitters are molecules that carry signals between nerve cells in the brain, or, simply, neurons.

This chemical imbalance helps doctors determine who is at risk for anxiety, which touches at least 19 million lives every year, but each story is different. Females are two times more at risk than males at experiencing anxiety, and anxietypanicattack.com says those ages 18-34 are most at risk.

Many who suffer face the difficult decision of determining whether their condition is that of the mind, the body, or both.

Body anxiety deals with the genetics, and many who suffer from anxiety have at least one family member who suffers as well. This was confirmed by several twin studies that back-up the ‘genetic inheritance’ theory.

However, slightly different from body anxiety, mind anxiety occurs when an individual experiences a stressful life event, such as recent loss or separation. Mind anxiety can be compared to a thermostat: when stress lowers the mind’s resistance, attacks are triggered.

Most anxiety attacks are a combination of both mind and body, working together so that the suffered actually helps bring on attacks by responding to physical symptoms.

For example, after drinking a cup of coffee, your heartbeat usually increases. Someone living with anxiety may notice this and fear that they will have an attack, which actually causes one. Depending on how strong the chemical imbalance in one’s brain, anxiety attacks range from mild to impairing. This can be determined by the symptoms one experiences.

Anxiety and panic attack symptoms range from relatively mild, such as racing heartbeat, lightheadedness or nausea, sweating and tingling in the limbs, to severe, such as feeling like you can’t get enough air, paralyzing terror, trembling, choking, chest pains, hot flashes or sudden chills, fear that you’re going crazy or about to die, and even passing out.

Those who experience many symptoms in the latter list often are sufferers from the worst type of anxiety, called agoraphobia, during which the sufferer is plagued with an absolute fear of any and everything. Living with this crippling type of anxiety is not fun. Many despise being in public, most choosing to not even leave their house or room at all.
But There’s a Treatment in Sight!

Once symptoms of anxiety begin to occur, it is important that it is professionally recognized and treated as soon as possible. You may feel like the feelings you experience, say, right before you give a speech or go off to college are normal, but what about when they begin to affect your every day life?

It’s time to see the doc!

We all know how nerve-wracking going to the doctor is, but for those with anxiety, a professional’s guidance often offers the sufferer a sense of relief, taking away the vulnerability of the question, “What’s wrong with me?” A question the anxiety-stricken often finds unanswerable. Once one is diagnosed, they now have the option of selecting a path of treatment.

Many choose prescribed medication, others, a more natural approach.
The types of medications available to treat anxiety differ according to severity. For the mildest cases, antidepressants such as Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac act in the brain on the chemical messenger Serotonin, restoring balance to the brain. Other, older types of medications, such as Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAIs), tackle the more severe types of attacks.

There are also anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax that are highly potent but act quickly on symptoms.

But is this really safe?

Choosing the right medication is important, and even then, side effects can be a huge downfall. The most common side effects are nausea and feeling jittery. Others include sexual dysfunction, dry mouth, weight gain, and in severe cases, fluctuating changes in blood pressure that can be dangerous.

Herbs and other natural remedies are also emerging as popular among medications, such as Serodyn. While anti-anxiety medications do work well, they can often be habit-forming or cause side effects, whereas herbal remedies for anxiety are considered safer and typically do not lead to dependence or addiction.

However, because the FDA does not thoroughly evaluate all natural treatments, most of the herbal remedies for anxiety on the market simply are not effective.

No matter what treatment one chooses, the ultimate goal is simple—help treat these problematic symptoms! Anxiety is a chronic illness that can only be treated, rarely cured.

Although many who receive treatment live years without reoccurring symptoms, there is usually a trigger reaction that occurs when stress has reached its breaking level.
This means that anxiety can come back, even when you least expect it. Without proper attention, anxiety may lead to phobias, depression, substance abuse, medical complications, and even suicide. And even when treated, medication often leaves people feeling like victims, living in fear of the next anxiety attack.

Anyone who truly does suffer, including myself, will tell you that whatever type of treatment that worked for him or her has been a complete lifesaver, restoring the feelings of comfort and normalcy back into minds that were once plagued with terror and panic. And it is important to both recognize the reality of anxiety and to feel safe within our own skins.

So if you ever do receive that phone call while you’re eating your Ramen noodles and waiting for Stewie to actually kill Lois, I hope that you are able to keep yourself calm and composed. Because if you can’t, you just might develop an anxiety attack, and all I’ll have to say is: welcome to my world.

If you or someone you know is suffering from anxiety, get help here.